This Instant Pot beef stew is tender meat combined with carrots, potatoes and peas in a rich and savory broth. An easy dinner that can be on the table in less than an hour!
I love a good beef stew, but it can take hours and hours for the meat to get tender. With a pressure cooker, you can make a delicious (and tender!) beef stew in a fraction of the time. I serve my beef stew with a side of garlic knots or with a cucumber salad for a complete meal.
I am in love with my Instant Pot, it has become such a big time saver in the kitchen! I love that I can have dinner on the table in no time, and this Instant Pot beef stew is the perfect example of that. A traditional beef stew would need to simmer for at least 2-3 hours. This Instant Pot version cooks in just 30 minutes, you can’t beat that!
How do you make Instant Pot beef stew?
The first step in this recipe is to brown your beef. If you’re in a huge hurry, you can skip this step, but I recommend taking the time to do it. The beef is combined with other ingredients including carrots, onions, potatoes, broth and seasonings, then pressure cooked to tender perfection.
What is the best beef for stew?
I use pre-cut beef stew meat for this recipe because it’s super convenient. Other great options would be a chuck roast, boneless short ribs or brisket that have been cut into 1-2 inch pieces. You want to look for a meat that has some fat content so that it will be juicy and tender after cooking.
How long do you cook beef stew in an Instant Pot?
This beef stew cooks for 30 minutes on high pressure. There is also some cook time involved in browning the meat, and the final step of thickening the stew requires you to simmer for at least 5 more minutes.
Tips for Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Cut your carrots and potatoes into large pieces so that they don’t get mushy in the stew after cooking.
- I like to use halved baby yellow potatoes. You can also use larger Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes that have been cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
- This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Want to amp up your beef stew to a new level? Sprinkle some cooked, crumbled bacon over the top before serving.
- You can add other vegetables to your stew such as a can of tomatoes or halved fresh mushrooms.
Once you try this Instant Pot beef stew, you’ll never want to make stew on the stove top again. The beef comes out meltingly tender and full of flavor, and the pressure cooker does all of the hard work for you!
More great soup recipes
- Albondigas Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound small yellow potatoes quartered or halved
- 4 carrots peeled, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute, then select More. Wait for the pot to heat up, then add the oil.
- Add half of the stew meat to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned.
- Remove the meat from the pot. Repeat with remaining meat.
- Place all the meat in the pot along with the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, beef broth, tomato paste, dried thyme leave, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir to combine. Seal the Instant Pot and set it to Manual High Pressure for 30 minutes.
- Carefully vent the pressure valve, or let the pressure release manually.
- Remove 1/3 cup of stew liquid from the pot. Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the flour mixture back into the pot, and turn the pot back to the Saute function.
- Add the peas to the pot. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until stew has started to thicken.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago and make it regularly in the colder months. It’s the best beef stew I’ve ever had or made!! Comes our delicious every time, totally fool proof and easy recipe. So happy I found it, it’s always a hit! I like to substitute bone broth for some extra nutrition.
Everything I’ve made of yours has been so yummy, I find myself browsing your website every time I need a new recipe! Thank you!!
I made the Irish stew (amazing!) and was looking for the Instant Pot version. I see this one does not include the beer in the ingredients. Can I add beer?
I am making this recipe again because it turns out so great. everybody was happy with it.
Loved how all the flavors came together in this dish. The meat was so tender.
Tastes a lot like the one my best friend growing up’s mom used to make! I subbed pork broth (cause I had pork bones in my freezer) and turnips for potatoes. Also added quartered white mushrooms and celery. So yummy and the sauce was so thick and hearty. Served with bread. Yum. And after having broth done, it literally took less than 10 minutes to chop and throw in the IP.
Great beef stew recipe! I made a double batch because I was cooking for a crowd. Everything was tender and delicious!
Is there any other ingredient you can think of besides using the tomato paste? My hubby has an overly sensitive tummy to tomato products (most any canned) and I’ve had trouble with this in the past. Does the tomato paste thicken and flavor? Just hoping I could make this with something different or maybe skip if if possible. Your looks the best!
Thanks so much for your time & suggestions.
I think you could probably omit the tomato paste and it would be ok, you may want to add other seasonings such as extra garlic, Worcestershire sauce, or dried Italian seasoning to try and add a little extra flavor to replace the tomato flavor.
Have you tried Knorr Tomato Buillon? It works well without the acidity. Look for it the Latino aisle in the supermarket.
Hi, what size instant pot is this for? I have a 3 quart one. Thanks!
You may want to cut it in half for that size pot, I use a 6 quart pot.
Made it two weeks ago with root veggies and mushrooms. Kept peas out. Doubled the meat. Family loved it. Today making again have to finish up
The leftover root vegetables that didn’t fit last time
If you season the stew meat then dredge in flour (I actually always use corn starch for this but flour is fine too) it thickens nicely and you can skip the last step.
You dredged in flour before after you browned the meat?
Dredge before browning. Leaves delicious crusty flakes to be scraped up for the broth.
My FIRST Instantpot try and it was easy and so not intimidating. Very easy! I’ve had my Instantpot for 3 years and this recipe made me wonder why I have waited so long!!
This recipe was a hit!
Hi! Can i double this recipe and make at the same time or would I need to make in two batches?
Thanks!
How big is your instant pot?
I’m trying this right now.
I have an 8qt Power Pressure Cooker XL and need to do large portions for bodybuilding meal prep.
Doubling the recipe filled the pot to 1/2 an inch of the edge of the pot, almost overflowing.
My pressure cooker’s max cook time is 30 minutes so I’m terrified I’m going to get inconsistent doneness but it’s worth the attempt to save an hour and know for the future if it will work or not.
Will report back afterwards. Going to do 30 minutes plus another 5 then slow release.
For those who find this in the future, it was very good and doubling the recipe worked in my 8qt
The pot was filled to the brim and the ‘scum’ (I don’t know what the proper term for this stuff is, fatt?) that comes from the beef got into the lid a bit but everything cooked through and came out perfect and delicious!!